Hi again - I wrote on the forum some time ago, because I bought an old house in Adelaide and I was contemplating the option of renovating. As at today, I have decided that it is definitely NOT worth it. The house is too old, and a renovation would never achieve what I like.
Therefore, I have decided that the existing house will be demolished and rebuilt, when I can afford it.
In the meantime, we can live with the existing house, limiting expenses to the ongoing maintenance to keep the necessities in working order (I have learned how to clean drains from roots... and similar funny stuff).
Anyway, there are a few details EXTERNAL to the house, which maybe could be done today, and could be kept even after the demolition. These would add value to the land and will remain as features of the new build. Before doing anything, I am looking for opinions, because I need to understand if something could be damaged in a future knock down.
1) I am on a corner block, and the front yard and a few rooms of the house on the side street lack privacy, because there is no fence. I was thinking of fencing the front yard, and keep that fence in the future. Can a new fence be damaged or need to be removed when the house will be demolished? I believe the demolition company will need to do a little levelling job, at demolition time (maybe 20/30 cm of slope to fill-in). The land can be easily accessed from the fence around the backyard, which is old an ugly, so can be removed.
2) Addition of a crossover/invert at the front of the property. At this moment, I only have 2 little crossovers from the side street, where one allows access to a garage (to be demolished as well), and the second one allows access to the backyard (now on an ugly and cracked concrete slab). A new crossover at the front would now allow access to the frontyard, where I can make a cheap gravel/pavers driveway. Then, this can become the main access to a double car garage under main roof, in the new build.
Is it reasonable to make the two above additions to the property NOW? Or is there a risk of wasting money and I should make all together in the future, at the time of rebuilding?
Thank you.
Cheers!
Future knock-down-rebuild. What is worth to do today?
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Hi again - I wrote on the forum some time ago, because I bought an old house in Adelaide and I was contemplating the option of renovating. As at today, I have decided that it is definitely NOT worth it. The house is too old, and a renovation would never achieve what I like.
Therefore, I have decided that the existing house will be demolished and rebuilt, when I can afford it.
In the meantime, we can live with the existing house, limiting expenses to the ongoing maintenance to keep the necessities in working order (I have learned how to clean drains from roots... and similar funny stuff).
Anyway, there are a few details EXTERNAL to the house, which maybe could be done today, and could be kept even after the demolition. These would add value to the land and will remain as features of the new build. Before doing anything, I am looking for opinions, because I need to understand if something could be damaged in a future knock down.
1) I am on a corner block, and the front yard and a few rooms of the house on the side street lack privacy, because there is no fence. I was thinking of fencing the front yard, and keep that fence in the future. Can a new fence be damaged or need to be removed when the house will be demolished? I believe the demolition company will need to do a little levelling job, at demolition time (maybe 20/30 cm of slope to fill-in). The land can be easily accessed from the fence around the backyard, which is old an ugly, so can be removed.
2) Addition of a crossover/invert at the front of the property. At this moment, I only have 2 little crossovers from the side street, where one allows access to a garage (to be demolished as well), and the second one allows access to the backyard (now on an ugly and cracked concrete slab). A new crossover at the front would now allow access to the frontyard, where I can make a cheap gravel/pavers driveway. Then, this can become the main access to a double car garage under main roof, in the new build.
Is it reasonable to make the two above additions to the property NOW? Or is there a risk of wasting money and I should make all together in the future, at the time of rebuilding?
Thank you.
Cheers!
Therefore, I have decided that the existing house will be demolished and rebuilt, when I can afford it.
In the meantime, we can live with the existing house, limiting expenses to the ongoing maintenance to keep the necessities in working order (I have learned how to clean drains from roots... and similar funny stuff).
Anyway, there are a few details EXTERNAL to the house, which maybe could be done today, and could be kept even after the demolition. These would add value to the land and will remain as features of the new build. Before doing anything, I am looking for opinions, because I need to understand if something could be damaged in a future knock down.
1) I am on a corner block, and the front yard and a few rooms of the house on the side street lack privacy, because there is no fence. I was thinking of fencing the front yard, and keep that fence in the future. Can a new fence be damaged or need to be removed when the house will be demolished? I believe the demolition company will need to do a little levelling job, at demolition time (maybe 20/30 cm of slope to fill-in). The land can be easily accessed from the fence around the backyard, which is old an ugly, so can be removed.
2) Addition of a crossover/invert at the front of the property. At this moment, I only have 2 little crossovers from the side street, where one allows access to a garage (to be demolished as well), and the second one allows access to the backyard (now on an ugly and cracked concrete slab). A new crossover at the front would now allow access to the frontyard, where I can make a cheap gravel/pavers driveway. Then, this can become the main access to a double car garage under main roof, in the new build.
Is it reasonable to make the two above additions to the property NOW? Or is there a risk of wasting money and I should make all together in the future, at the time of rebuilding?
Thank you.
Cheers!
I wouldn't do either if I were you:
1. Are you intending to do a survey before you put in the new fence? If not, your land survey for the new build might reveal your new fence is out of place and may need to be relocated. Also depending on your new house style, the fence might not be in up keep with the new house and there is always the risk that the fence becomes damaged / causes inconvenience to the new build depending on how close your new house will be to the fence/boundary.
2. This will likely need to be demolished too at the time of the new build, so the question is is the cost worth the enjoyment in the meantime.
Thanks for your response Infinite-Justice.
Regarding the 2 points:
1) I was not thinking of doing a survey. As I am on a corner, this side fence would be on the boundary between my land and the sidewalk. There is already a little brick wall which is the de-facto separation between my property and the sidewalk (Council/public property). There are no many other options, in terms of position of this fence.
In terms of distance, I would like to build the new house at least a couple of meters from that boundary shared with the sidewalk/street. So, this should not be an inconvenience for a future builder.
Main concerns could actually be the style and the risk of damage during demolition. Anyway, I was thinking to a brushwood fence, which should be a "neutral" style and be OK with many house designs?
2) Could you please elaborate a bit more on your comment regarding the new crossover/invert? Why do you believe these will be demolished? I have seen many houses demolished and rebuilt, and none of them demolishes the crossover (that is: the sloped piece of sidewalk which allows to drive a car from the street into your property).
In this regard, I was thinking that - in future - a demolition company and a builder can access the property from the side street with excavators and other heavy equipment. So, the new crossover (which would be on the front street) would not be used/damaged. If I can, will attach a picture to explain better.
Regarding the 2 points:
1) I was not thinking of doing a survey. As I am on a corner, this side fence would be on the boundary between my land and the sidewalk. There is already a little brick wall which is the de-facto separation between my property and the sidewalk (Council/public property). There are no many other options, in terms of position of this fence.
In terms of distance, I would like to build the new house at least a couple of meters from that boundary shared with the sidewalk/street. So, this should not be an inconvenience for a future builder.
Main concerns could actually be the style and the risk of damage during demolition. Anyway, I was thinking to a brushwood fence, which should be a "neutral" style and be OK with many house designs?
2) Could you please elaborate a bit more on your comment regarding the new crossover/invert? Why do you believe these will be demolished? I have seen many houses demolished and rebuilt, and none of them demolishes the crossover (that is: the sloped piece of sidewalk which allows to drive a car from the street into your property).
In this regard, I was thinking that - in future - a demolition company and a builder can access the property from the side street with excavators and other heavy equipment. So, the new crossover (which would be on the front street) would not be used/damaged. If I can, will attach a picture to explain better.
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